Art After The Great War - 893 Words

Art after The Great War The Great War was the first of its kind. Never before had combat been conducted on such a global scale. The technological advancements resulting from the onset of Industrialism allowed weapons and supplies to be mass-produced. When the dust finally settled, the death toll eclipsed 16 million, and another 20 million were wounded. Dada and Surrealism originated as artistic reactions to the colossal destruction experienced during World War I. Dada radical and poet, Tristan Tzara, confessed, â€Å"the beginnings of Dada were not the beginnings of art, but of disgust† (MoMa Dada). Largely, this was disgust to the atrocities and suffering of war. However, it was also disgust towards the bourgeoisie, political corruption,†¦show more content†¦Marcel Duchamp is widely considered one of the most influential Dada artists. His works frequently included the use of ready-mades. Ready-mades are pre-fabricated items that the artist personally deems as art. For example, a chair, or table could potentially be a ready-made. One of Duchamp’s most famous ready-mades is called Fountain. This piece is a previously used urinal, with the name R. Mutt 1917 written in black on the side. The installation is a classic example of Dada art, in that it does not make sense. It is art because it is anti-art. There is no logic, and there is no reason behind it. It is art because the artist decided it was art. It simply exists. Francis Picabia is another prominent Dada artist. In 1919, he created a diagram of how a supposed Dada alarm clock works. The dada movement aimed to shake the world of modern art up. Art was considered boring and mundane. Dada â€Å"was a noisy alarm that woke up modern art from merely aesthetic slumber† (Elderfield). Picabia’s piece was supposed to represent how it changed. The flow of current was actually the flow of change of modern art. While Dada was intended to be a rebellious and purposeful response to conventional and traditional thinking in society, its successor Surrealism resulted from the desire to explore the unconscious mind. Also, the movement aimed to upset the conventions of reality. Surrealism started as a literary movement that utilized a technique called automatism.